The region of Liguria (2,098 sq. mi) is located on the rim of northwestern Italy between the Maritime Alps and the Apennines to the north, and the Mediterranean to the south. Its northern limits touch Piedmont and Lombardy, with the crest of the mountains serving as a natural border.

The Ligurian coast spans the area from the French Riviera on the western side to Tuscany in the Southeast. The entire Italian Riviera is contained within Liguria, with Genoa acting as a midway divide between the Western Riviera (Ponente) and the Eastern Riviera (Levante).

Liguria’s population is approx. 1,625,870, distributed among its four provinces:

• Genoa (907,583)
• Savona (279,761)
• La Spezia (222,140)
• Imperia (216,386)

Ligurian history has been characterized by the seafaring tradition that made its capital, Genoa, Italy's principal commercial port for centuries. Although Genoa was founded by the ancient Ligurians in the 5th century B.C., it was the Romans who developed its harbor and made it a naval base. Genoa asserted its role as an autonomous power in the Middle Ages and frequently undertook naval expeditions to protect its main trade routes from Saracen and pirate encroachments.

Around 1000 A.D., Genoa’s powerful naval fleet became one of the predominant naval powers in the Mediterranean, giving Genoa a crucial role in transporting Crusaders eastward. As a result of the Crusades, Genoa was able to markedly expand its trade and establish trading centers in the Eastern Mediterranean. The resulting growth of their city’s economic power catapulted the Genoese into the position of Europe’s foremost banking entity, with loan returns reaching their zenith in the 1200-1300’s.

It was during this period that Genoa came to be known as "La Superba" (The Superb or Proud) and is still known by that appellation throughout Italy even today. The arrival of Napoleon marked the end of Genoa’s independence. In 1815, with the defeat of the French, Genoa's port continued to be one of the most important in Europe, even after it was absorbed into the Kingdom of Piedmont. During the 19th century the city was a focal point of the Italian unification movement, reflected in the ardent contributions of one of its native sons, Giuseppe Mazzini, who was the intellectual force for a united republican Italy.